Englert Roundup

Dweeze's letter to the editor appeared in the paper today. There's been a lot of Englert blogging going on lately, with Kris, Dweeze and Greenman entering the fray. Even State 29 has a few words to say in the comments of other blogs.

Take a look at the Englert's own "About Us" statement taken directly from their website:

The mission of the Englert Civic Theatre, Inc. is to own, maintain and operate the Englert Theatre as a community arts center and performance space, enhancing the vitality of Iowa City's historic downtown by preserving its last historic theater.

The Englert Civic Theatre, Inc. will provide diverse programming, educational opportunities, and exposure to the performing and visual arts. Our focus will be to highlight the talents of local performers, artists, and ensembles.

If that is even remotely true, why price the facility out of the budgets of so many local arts groups?

Here's the list of the board of trustees.

Thomas Rosenberger, MD FAAP, President
- Pediatrics Associates of Iowa City and Coralville (retired)
Jerry Full, Vice President
- Liberty Growth Broadcast Engineering & Commercial Real Estate Development, Owner
Dave Parsons, Treasurer
- Frohwein Office Plus, Owner
Myrene Hoover, Secretary
- Secretary - Iowa City Community Theatre, Representative
Sandy Eskin
- Philanthropist
Jeremy Faden
- U of Iowa Physics Dept., Computer Scientist
- Friends of Historic Preservation, Board of Directors
Mary Gantz
- Community Volunteer
Bob Hamel
- Lutheran Pastor
- Univ. of Iowa, Master of Fine Arts Candidate in Theater
- Iowa City Community Theatre, Board of Directors
Matthew Hayek
- Hayek, Hayek, Brown, Moreland & Hayek, L.L.P., Attorney
Jo Jones
- University of Iowa Museum of Art, Administrative Associate
Barbra Kamer
- American Cancer Society, Communications Manager
Mike Partridge
- Software Engineer
Robert Payne
- Univ. of Iowa Business Office, Financial & Business Services Consultant
Mollie Schlue
– South-Western Publishing, Sales Representative
Alan Swanson
- Blank & McCune, The Real Estate Company
Ron Neems
- Wells Fargo Bank, Private Client Services

I don't know how up to date this is, as one of the people on this list, Bob Hamel, doesn't live in Iowa City anymore. In any case, if you know any of these people, talk to them.